Caterpillars and butterflies is the theme of the latest laneway painting project. A year ago, Nick Sweetman led a group of street artists who painted garage doors in a lane near Garrison Creek park with pictures of butterflies. These murals appeared in blog post in June 2017

This year’s project was similar. Many of the same artists were involved again this year. They used garages, fences and gates in a lane near Felstead Park (a block south of Greenwood subway station) as their canvas. Once again, the theme was butterflies as it too was part of the David Suzuki Foundation’s butterflyways project. This time, a similar blue background was used in all the murals which has given it a more unified appearance.

The project was curated by Nick Sweetman and it had the support of Start aka StreetARToronto

below: Felstead Park, by @braes_ack

below: In the shadow of the weed are the letters CTR

below: Mural signed by Kehoe, the face of David Suzuki

below: Green and yellow toadstools by mska

below: Mural by @oriah_scott

below: butterfly among the pink and red flowers, by P.S. aka Phillip Saunders

below: A sombre dark piece (is it finished?) by @poserabm

below: Three butterflies by Serina

below: Collaboration – A monarch painted by Nick Sweetman and a wonderful rose by Wales

below: A bright and busy mural by Spyone and Tensoe

below: The hookah-smoking caterpillar from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is crawling across the fence. Painted by elicser

below: Red panda out on a limb, perhaps chasing the butterfly, by Ted Hamer (@The1astRonin)

below: A butterfly in the garden; the work of Anya Mielniczek

below: Two flowers, one pink and one blue, by Chris Perez

below: It looks a lot like a skull on the back of this butterfly painted by @cmazzulla aka Christine Mazzulla

below: A curled up caterpillar in pink and black, very larger than life!, by Spud.

below: By Dezed, a butterly, mushrooms, and a bit of water

below: Reaching out to the butterfly, giving the butterfly a helping hand, painted by @drippin_soul (Kalkidan Assefa)

below: On the right, Emma, the property owner’s dog who died recently. Nick Sweetman painted the dog while @mr_tensoe2 painted the dog’s name

I decided to head to Pape and Danforth on Friday, on a very hot & humid afternoon. The Danforth was just beginning to get ready for the Taste of the Danforth weekend festival. I stopped for a bottle of water and tried to find a bit of shade while I figured out where to walk. The street was still quiet. The day was hot and humid and no one was moving quickly. Not many photos to be had there. Instead, I decided to walk a few of the alleys north of the Danforth between Pape and Donlands.

below: No famous graffiti artist has left their mark in your neighbourhood? No problem, make your own!
A collection of icons with even the bricks painted into the picture.

below: Three garage doors with street art including one by spud.

below: Cruz1art (aka Angel Carillo) and a girl power pink skull by dudeman

below: “Turn the lights off and look to the sky”

below: I’m used to seeing ‘No Trespassing’ or ‘Keep Out’ signs but not so many ‘Keep Off’.

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly just called the Gardiner, has been in the news a lot lately. This 18 km stretch of road between the city and the lake was completed in 1965 after years of planning and building. At the time that it was built, Toronto’s waterfront was largely industrial and there wasn’t much objection to having a 4 to 6 lane expressway, with many sections elevated, built there. The railway had begun the process of dividing the city from its waterfront a hundred years previously.

As the city changes and grows, more and more people live in the downtown core. Industry has moved out and residents have moved in. For so long the land south of the Gardiner as well as under the Gardiner was neglected, especially from a city planning point of view. But now, the city is looking differently at that swath of land. The far east elevated section between the Don Valley Parkway and Leslie Street was demolished in 2001 and there have been calls for the next section (Jarvis to the DVP) to be demolished as well. There has been some controversy as to whether to demolish it or move it… and if move it, where to? I am not even sure what the plans are at the moment. On the other hand, the western section of the elevated expressway (Strachan to Spadina) will remain standing. Work is underway to refurbish the structure – the city doesn’t want any more stories of pieces of concrete dropping onto cars beneath! Plans are being implemented to use the land under the Gardiner much more efficiently. To make it work for the public.

The Bentway is the name that has been given to this new park, or public space, beneath the Gardiner Expressway from Strachan 1.4 kilometres east to Spadina. The first phase is due to open Canada Day 2017 and it involves the stretch between Strachan and Bathurst. Many of you have probably driven on the Gardiner but do any of you know what is under it now? Let’s take a look.

below: The Gardiner passes over Strachan Avenue which in turn passes over the railway tracks.

below: On Strachan Ave looking west. Condo development in this area has extended right to the railway line. The Exhibition GO train station is in the distance. You can also see the Gardiner to the left of the tracks. Here the north side of the under part of the expressway is walled in and the enclosed space is used by Exhibition Place. At this time there is no plan for the Bentway to extend this far; I have used this photo to provide more context as to the location of the park.

below: A closer look at the Gardiner on the west side of Strachan Avenue. Maybe there is potential to expand the park westward? to Exhibition GO station? And by the way, those concrete structures holding up the expressway – those are called ‘bents’ and that is why the park is called what it is.

below: This photo was taken as I stood on Garrison Common and looking towards Strachan Avenue. This will be the western end of the new park. You can see the underside of the Gardiner as it passes over Strachan Ave which in turn is also a bridge. This bridge once crossed the Grand Trunk Railway tracks that were built in the 1850s. New entrances to the park are planned that incorporate the present sloped embankment of the bridge.

below: A quick aside: It’s a slightly different angle, but here is a photo of the Strachan Avenue bridge from 1959, before the Gardiner was built. I suspect that there has been upgrades made to the bridge since then. Photo credit: R.L. Kennedy, found online (also a good source for the history of the Grand Trunk Railway in Toronto). Garrison Common is to the right.

Garrison Common is the green space surrounding Fort York. It will abut (be continuous with?) the new Bentway. Fort York is a National Historic Site and on its 43 acre site are original buildings from the War of 1812 as well as an 1813 battle site. Did you know that the Americans beat us here in 1813 and controlled the city of York (as Toronto was known then) for a few days?

below: The new Fort York Visitors Centre is now open. There is still being work done both inside and outside, but it is open to visitors. For so long the fort was hidden away and difficult to get to; it is nice to see it receiving more attention.

below: Jake from Park People, one of the groups helping to design the new park, stands under the Gardiner as he talks to a group of us on a tour. Here, by Fort York, the Gardiner is the equivalent of 5 storeys from ground level, the highest it reaches as it crosses the city.

below: Standing on the grounds of Fort York. The Bentway will be beyond the stone wall. You can get a good idea of the spacing between the bents. These spaces are being referred to as ‘rooms’ and there are 55 of them between Strachan and Spadina.

below: One obstacle is the fact that Fort York Blvd passes under the Gardiner on a diagonal. Plans are to build a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the street. Also in the photo, note the TTC bus – Fort York and vicinity are finally on a bus route. Route 121 runs between the Portlands and Fort York via Union Station.

below: The section under the Gardiner Expressway between Bathurst Street and Fort York Blvd is not city owned. It is owned, and has already been developed, by the Onni Group who built the Garrison at Fort York condominiums on either side of it. This is the eastern end of phase 1.

below: Northbound traffic on Bathurst passes under the Gardiner.

Phase 2 of the park’s development involves land between Bathurst and Spadina. This is an area that is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment, i.e. a lot of construction.

below: Immediately south of the Gardiner on the northeast corner of Bathurst and Lakeshore is a construction site. Demolition of the old 1928 Loblaws warehouse building is now complete. The facade of the old building was disassembled rather than demolished; after cleaning and refurbishing of the bricks, it will be rebuilt in its original location. Two condo towers are planned for the space between Loblaws and the Gardiner. Yes, more condo towers to face the Gardiner and add to the tunnel effect that you get when you drive on the expressway.

below: The development of this site is a collaboration between a number of developers. I found a photo of one rendition (source) of what the space under the Gardiner will look like here in the future. Public space including a cafe are part of the plans. Check back in a couple of years to see what really happens here!

below: Standing on Bathurst Street, looking east along what will be Housey Street. This is just north of where the Loblaws development (above) will be. As you can see, you can’t walk there yet.

below: Southeast corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. This is the section of land just north of Housey Street. Construction hoardings and cranes – familiar sights in this area. It also means that taking photos of under the Gardiner here are difficult!

below: Development north of the Gardiner between Bathurst and Dan Leckie Way.

Dan Leckie Way is a north-south road that runs under the Gardiner just east of Bathurst. It is the western boundary of Canoe Landing Park. This park is north of the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: ‘Tom Thomson’s Canoe’, by Douglas Coupland sits at the highest point of land in the area; it’s almost at the same level as the Gardiner and is very visible as you drive by. This park extends down the hill.

below: Looking the other way from the same vantage point. The street running under the Gardiner here is Dan Leckie Way . Up until this point the Lakeshore is south of the Gardiner.

At Dan Leckie Way, the Lakeshore is still south of the Gardiner and the space under the expressway is wide open. By Spadina, one major block east, the situation changes. The Lakeshore splits and westbound traffic lanes go north of the Gardiner and eastbound lanes stay south. Shortly after Spadina, the Lakeshore runs under the Gardiner and there is no room for any further development under the road.

below: Standing on Spadina, just south of the Gardiner and looking west. Here there is a lot of road to cross for pedestrians on Spadina. Not only has the Lakeshore split to run on either side of the Gardiner, but there are also ramps between the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: Still on Spadina, and still looking west, but now under the Gardiner. The space under the road is not as high as it was previously. Its lower and darker and not as inviting. It will be interesting to see what phase 2 of the Bentway development will look like in this space. I am not sure when it will to be finished but I will keep an eye on it!

As for the eastern Gardiner, what does that look like? Well, that’s a whole other blog post!

Project: Under Gardiner On this site you’ll find detailed maps and diagrams of this area as well as information about the plans for the various sections of the space.

Frank Kovac Lane is a short alley just south of Christie subway station. Some of the garage doors were painted with murals in past years and, as usual, there were plenty of tags. Recently, the lane was the scene of a community mural painting session thanks to the 4th Toronto Rangers (Girl Guides), StreetARToronto, artist Nick Sweetman, and some local residents. Now some of the tags are gone and more importantly, some more garage doors are home to bright and cheerful murals. A few of them are included here.

below: At the north end of the lane is this large, colourful mural by Nick Sweetman.
Two large blue bears have found a plethora of honey. Will the bees share?

below: The new murals continue the animal theme, “Urban Wildlife”, starting with this fox.

below: A common Toronto animal, a raccoon, beside a red fire hydrant.

below: A blue jay eyes some blueberries.

below: Several monster faces have lived in this alley for a while and they still remain.
This one looks like he needs a hair cut.

below: This graffiti is actually on Harbord Street but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it
– a camera and an “oh snap”

Sometimes when I walk I find a view or a photo that suggests a theme for the day; something that summarizes the area that I’ve been walking through. On Saturday, this was the photo, a construction site on Wellesley Street -a massive hole in the ground amongst a growing number of high rise buildings.

This piece of property, between Wellesley and Breadalbane streets, had been vacant for a number of years. It was once owned by the province; back in the 1980s there were plans to build a ballet and opera house there. Those plans fell through and the land remained vacant while community groups lobbied for a park to be developed there.

When I first walked the area in April 2013, there was a blue fence around the site.

The blue fence is gone. According to the development proposal sign, two towers are being built here with a combined height of 99 floors. A nine or ten storey L-shaped podium will run along St. Luke Lane and Wellesley Street to join the towers. The plan also allows for park land on Breadalbane. When I checked the website for the development, 11 Wellesley aka Wellesley on the Park, there is only one tower pictured and it doesn’t look like the description on the sign.

Ah, a little light bulb goes on. The sign describes the developers’ original plan. A change in the plan doesn’t mean a change in the sign. So… this seems to be the future home of one 60 storey condo tower on one third of the land and a 1.6 acre park on the remainder.

My Saturday walk had actually started close to Yonge and College. I was drawn to the nondescript block of stores that are now boarded up in preparation to be demolished.

I’m wishing that I had taken pictures previously of these stores just to document the history of that part of Yonge Street. I had many chances to do so, but the building never seemed interesting enough.

Whether or not you think that two 58 storey towers with a shared 7 storey podium is an improvement is an entirely different question. It will contain 960 condo units and 5 storeys of above grade parking (because the subway runs underneath) with 320 parking spots. Lobby access for the buildings will be from Maitland and Alexander Streets on the north and south sides of the property. Or at least that’s what’s on the sign. But fool me once, so I checked the website for the condo (TeaHouse Condos in this case) and once again the information doesn’t match. According to the website there will be two towers but the north one will be 25 storeys and the south one will be 53 storeys. Whatever the end result, it will be different from what’s there now!

At least one person had an objection.

A walk around the back of the building shows that we aren’t losing much there either.

The next site that I explored is just to the south where a hole is already in progress on the SW corner of Yonge and Grenville.

Photo taken from St. Lukes Lane

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below: This hole has exposed the north wall of the brown brick Oddfellows’ Hall as this view shows. This is looking south, with College Park in the background (built by the T. Eaton Co. and opened as a 6 storey Eatons store on 30 October 1930). Behind the chain link fence is St. Luke Lane.

Now you see it… soon you won’t. The condo tower here will be 66 storeys high.

Oddfellow’s Hall was built in 1891 and 1892 by architects Norman B. Dick and Frank W. Wickson for the Independent Order of Oddfellows. It has two octagonal turrets and is a playful mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles. The building had a 20’ x 46’ long grand hall for IOOF private meetings as well as offices and storefronts.

below: Looking north up Yonge Street at College Street, about 1970. The Bank of Commerce (later Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and now CIBC) was an early tenant of the building. Also in the picture is the old fire hall tower but more about that later.

Photo found online, original source was City of Toronto Archives

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below: Most people will recognize the building as Starbucks.

Back to Grenville Street where there is yet another development. On the west side of St. Luke Lane is a partially completed condo that has incorporated the facade of what is known as the John Irwin house. It is one of the oldest surviving residential buildings in the area; in 1873 it was recorded as being owned by a John Irwin.

This house wasn’t always in this location though. It was moved a few metres east along Grenville, from one side of the condo development to the other. I found a photo that I took in April 2013, just after the house had been moved. Here you can see the back of the house as well as St. Luke Lane to the right.

Does your head hurt yet? Because there is more…..
But first, a break. A few other pictures from the area.

below: No Parking in St. Luke Lane, twice.

below: And a man (Van Gogh? someone else?) with a red umbrella but more remarkably, a white picket fence almost hidden under vines by Wellesley Street.

below: Also in St. Luke Lane, a mural commemorating the Highway of Heroes.

And back to the program….

So far we have two holes in the ground, a partially finished condo, and a block that has just begun to be demolished. The last development that I saw in the area was one that is still in the planning stages. The development proposal sign posted beside Currys Art Supplies (the blue awning) is a clue that changes are imminent at 480-494 Yonge Street. This building is on the SW corner of Yonge and Grosvenor. The sign says one 45 storey tower but by now I don’t believe the signs!

480 Yonge Street is a heritage building as is the old fire hall (1872). The top corner of 480 Yonge is just visible in the bottom left of this picture. It is to be incorporated into the new development if it goes ahead. The fire hall tower is going to be preserved but the building in front of it will be removed. The sidewalk will also be widened as a result. That’s the opening act of this story; there may be changes before the final curtain. The developers applied for a zoning amendment (increased height and density) earlier this year but I do not know the results of that.

below: On the NW corner of Yonge and Grosvenor is this building. I don’t know if there are any plans in the works to redo this stretch of Yonge Street but after seeing all the new developments, I’m starting to get a bit sentimental about the old buildings. So here is documentation of what remains, starting with A & W Home of the Burger Family at 496 Yonge.

A walk down Brock Ave, well sort of. I don’t think I’m capable of walking in a straight line.

Brock Avenue, just north of Bloor, the Haven Espresso Bar, a tiny little place with good coffee. I don’t usually start my walk with a cup of coffee but I was intrigued by the smallness of the space.

below: This is the mural on the wall beside the coffee bar. It’s just the word Haven but there are some interesting details in the letters.

below: The local park is called Susan Tibaldi Parkette, named for a woman who was active in the community. This cheerful toucan overlooks the park.

There are a few painted walls and garages in the area around the park.

below: Including this spud bomb covered garage door.

below: On a wall, ‘Building with the Gods, James Massey R.I.P’

below: I spotted this on a pole just before I headed south. A little bit of sparkle to brighten the day.

The area south of Bloor was once the village of Brockton. Back in 1812, one hundred acres of land from what is now Queen Street, north to Bloor Street, and west of Dufferin Avenue was granted to James Brock (yes, a relative of Sir Isaac). After James died, his widow Lucy had a road built that run down the center of the property. This road was Brock Avenue. She subdivided the property and sold the lots to smaller land holders. This settlement became Brockton. In 1884 it was annexed by the city of Toronto.

below: Colourful cat and mouse games on a wall just south of Dundas. I couldn’t find any ‘signature’ on the wall and I haven’t been able to find out who painted this. I’d love to know.

below: Malabar Ltd. It looks unkempt and I thought it was abandoned. The gate to the parking lot was open and there were a couple of cars parked behind the wall. A quick search online and I discovered that this site is still operational, but only serves the professional opera and theaters industry.

After passing under one of the greyest, dingiest railway bridges, I came to a street – not sure what it was!

I checked a map – it’s Cunningham Ave.

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But it afforded me an unobstructed view.
I looked around a bit but there wasn’t much of interest on my side of the tracks and I wasn’t about to cross over! I did notice that there is graffiti on the track side of the wall around the Malabar parking lot. Something to explore another time… when I don’t have to dodge trains!

As the leaves fall off the trees, the houses are hidden less. I like looking for older and/or unique architectural details that are now easier to spot (and take pictures of!)

below: The first time I saw one of these “half houses” I was quite surprised (it’s behind the large tree). I now realize that there are a number of them in the city but it was still a fun find.

below: Brick and wood trim details being preserved and restored on an old house.

below: There are a number of old square houses in the neighbourhood.

below: A house with an old second storey wooden structure. I don’t think it can be called an oriel window but I don’t know any other architectural term to describe it.

below: Although it’s not as easy to see in this picture, this house also has an old window and wood structure. The fence around the neighbour’s yard is probably not as old as the porch, but it to is from a bygone era. Is it from the 1960’s? I suspect that they were very trendy at one time although I have seen this sort of design more as balcony railings than as fences.

below: Symmetrical but not symmetrical

below: The back of Bike Pirates, a DIY bike workshop on Queen West, has a mural by Jonny Cakes.